Blood and Crumpets
by L.D. Eddy
Summary: In which Arkham is one of the safest places for Dormouse, when it comes to the Hatter, of course.
1. Chapter 1

The guards were completely baffled as to why Molly McKean had just walked all the way from Gotham City, commandeered a ferry, and made her way across the water to Arkham Asylum. They were also confused as to how she had done it as she was walking with an exaggerated limp and was covered in blood in various states of dry and wet.

"Molly, you okay?" Aaron Cash asked the young woman. She shook her head and sniffled.

"No. Hatter's cross with me," She said simply.

"Hatter did this to her? Jeesh, she looks like Harley Quinn does after one of Joker's tirades," Mark said.

"Why'd Hatter do this to you?" Cash asked. Molly sniffled.

"I yelled at that _girl_," She said. "She's not Alice, I know she's not Alice. Alice doesn't cry because her head's been put in a teapot, Alice doesn't look at crumpets as if they're poisoned, Alice isn't _afraid_ of us. Hatter became very cross. He insisted she was Alice, but I know she wasn't and he-he-he _hit_ me. And he kept hitting me. I'm very cross with him now."

"Why'd you come here, Molly? Why didn't you go to a hospital?" Stevens asked. "You could've been helped sooner."

"The Castle is safest with all of the cards. I don't like the other hospitals outside of Wonderland. I couldn't go to my other home because-" She cut herself off and paused before looking back up at Cash. "Do you want me to go?"

"No! Stevens, run ahead and tell the doctors to come here with a stretcher. Ms. McKean has walked too much, we don't want to risk further damage by moving her without a stretcher."

"Yes sir," the Guard said before taking off.

"Now, Molly, where is Hatter?" Cash demanded. Molly shook her head.

"Hatter will have the queen- well, it'll be off with my head if I tell you, sir. I like my head, I'm rather quite attached to it." Cash and Mark cracked a grin despite the situation.

Molly suddenly started to sway and grabbed her head.

"Oh, someone's spinning me around. Now that's quite rude. Stop it," She mumbled before tipping. Mark rushed forward and caught her before she could hit the ground. "I'm a little teapot short...and stout...here is my han...dle," she trailed off, her eyes slipping closed.


	2. Chapter 2

Ron's eyes went wide.

"Wait, wait. _What_ patient?" He demanded. Mark rolled his shoulders in an action that could be deemed a shrug.

"Molly McKean. Y'know, Dormouse. Looked like shit. Hatter used her as his own personal punching bag. Looked like Harley Quinn. Hey! You don't think Hatter and Dormou-"

"Shut up."

"Wha-"

"Just stop talking. Shut up. Don't say anything more."

"Hey!"

"Moron, shut up!" Ron hissed. "Look, this information needs to be kept close to the chest, 'kay? Don't tell anyone about it until Cobblepot gets back. This is important. You only tell Cobblepot. He needs to be told immediately after he gets here."

"Why?"

"Dumbass, don't ask questions, just do it. If Penguin finds out you hid this from him...well, it ain't gonna be too pretty."

"Jeesh, fine, whatever."

* * *

><p>Mark fiddled with his phone for a moment as he waited outside of the office. He didn't understand why one of the guys insisted he report the incident to the boss, and he didn't want to understand, either. Knowing too much in a place like Gotham was suicide, at least when it came to certain people. Like his boss.<p>

"Get in 'ere, boy!" The sharp bark of his boss' voice grated at his ears. He snapped his old phone shut, slipped it into his pocket, and took a deep breath before entering. The Penguin, in all of his 4'11" glory, was a frightening sight to behold. Though the man was short and stout, he was intimidating, and he could wield an umbrella like no other. "Now, what was it you 'ad to tell me that couldn't wait until I'd settled back in from my trip?"

"W-well, tonight, well, last night now, a patient walked all the way from the center of Gotham to the ferries, stole a ferry, and sailed across to Arkham. Heavily injured."

"And why was it you felt the need to tell me this?"

"Well, I didn't, it was Ron. I told him about it and he said I should tell you, sir."

"Alright then. Who was the patient?"

"Molly McKean. The Dormouse."

"Get out of 'ere. Bring Ron to me."

"A-alright, b-boss."

* * *

><p>Oswald was pissed. His – well, whatever the Dormouse was to him – was hurt. She didn't even bother trying to get to the Iceberg, either. Didn't the bloody chit know she was safe here even when he was gone? It was worse knowing it was Hatter that had hurt her.<p>

The door creaked open and Oswald bit down on his cigar in irritation. If that was anyone other than-

"Sir?" the intruder asked.

Good. It was Ron.

"Ron, get your arse in here, and close the damned door."

"Yes sir," the hench closed the door and walked up to the desk. "You, uh, you called for me sir?"

"I need you to facilitate an escape attempt at Arkham."

"Uh, sure, who for, boss?" From the look on Ron's face, Penguin could judge that he already had an idea who.

"The Dormouse."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: **_

_**I feel so terrible! I've practically abandoned you guys! I am so, so sorry. I thought I would have a bit more time to write, but with the new semester I was given the gift of writer's block. Yay. Note the sarcasm. Anyway, I am writing now and hopefully it stops the writer's block.**_

_**Reviews and Replies:  
><strong>_

_**SwordStitcher **_

Waddle in and save the day Ozzy! You know you will! Poor Dormouse, every henchman's had one of those days. It's a hazard of working with people slightly madder than yourself.

Ps: Totally starting to like this couple. :D

_**I love this couple also. And here he is, waddling in! Sort of. More to come soon. I'm hoping I can start updating at least once a week. Very hazardous working for the rogues. TTYL.**_

_**Erik-is-my-angel1234 **_

Brilliant chapter. Update soon.

_**Thank you darling! I hope you enjoyed this chapter also, even though it is definitely not as good as the first. TTFN.**_


	3. Chapter 3

After Ron left, the Penguin called in Lewis.

Lewis was one of the men that had originally brought the Dormouse to the Iceberg, thus Penguin held him responsible for looking after the woman, especially when she wasn't with Oswald or at the Iceberg or Arkham. He also held him responsible for keeping tabs on the Hatter.

"You called me in, Mr. Cobblepot?" Lewis asked.

"Find Jervis Tetch. Bring 'im to me," Penguin growled at the lackey.

"Alive?"

"Obviously."

* * *

><p>"Some might say that this is undue, that you haven't done anything to deserve this," Penguin said, pacing back and forth in front of the Hatter. "That what 'appened to Molly was just what she deserved for being associated with you. Funny thing is, I don't care what some say. In fact, <em>I<em> say this is just what you deserve," He looked down at his hands and smirked, sliding the brass knuckles on. "This is exactly what you deserve. What Molly deserves. And I'm gonna enjoy this," with that, Oswald reached back and ripped his fist through the air in a punch that knocked Hatter and the chair to the ground. "Sure, I could just use one of my trick umbrellas, but this...this deserves a more personal touch, don't you think, Lewis?" Penguin said, turning to look at the man.

"Yeah, boss." Penguin grabbed Hatter by the collar and hefted him up.

"My dear, dear Caterpillar, I am quite sure I-"

"Don't call me a bloody Caterpillar, you raving-!" Penguin cut himself off and tossed Hatter to the ground. "You best believe you'll be in a world of pain and blood quite soon, Tetch."

* * *

><p>It was dark in the infirmary.<p>

Molly stared up at the ceiling, tears stinging at her eyes.

"Twinkle twinkle little bat, how I wonder what you're at," Molly whispered. "Up above the world you fly, like a tea tray in the sk-"

"Shut up!" A patient yelled angrily. Molly frowned and the tears leaked out, slowly slipping down towards the bed. Nobody here cared.

Her friend had hurt her.

Nobody cared.

"My Hatter's gone madder," Molly muttered, reaching up with her cast-less hand and wiping the tears away. "Only Alice can help him. But she wasn't Alice, she was a fake!" She yelled. "An imposter. He's probably already killed her."

She rolled over on the bed and wished she could curl up into a ball.

* * *

><p>"Dr. Elliot," one of the nurses called his name. Thomas Elliot turned around.<p>

"Yes, Miss Johnson?" He asked.

"We ran those X-Rays on the Dormouse and, well, you're going to want to see this," she said. Thomas Elliot frowned as she handed him one of the X-Rays. At the base of the Dormouse's skull, in the tissue, a small square had been embedded. "What do you think this is?"

"I'm not sure, but I know someone who can tell," he grabbed his cell phone from his pocket.

"Who are you calling?"

"Wayne Enterprises. R&D," He said.

"Thank you for calling Wayne Enterprises, how may I direct your call?" A secretary asked after picking up.

"This is Dr. Thomas Elliot, I'd like to speak with Lucius Fox," Elliot said. "Tell him it's urgent."

"Yes sir, Dr. Elliot, right away."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN:**_

_**What? What? NO! **_

_**SwordStitcher:**_

_**I am very happy to be back! Yeah, Ron's gonna be busting her out in a little bit. It takes a while to facilitate an escape. Knees for ornaments...I might steal that from you! I love that bit about the rogues, funny :) I should get on a writing kick soon.**_

_**Bat-teen 28:**_

_**I love that you like Dormouse, it makes me feel so very happy. And she is indeed too cool to be killed. Here's the next bit!**_

_**Erik-is-my-angel1234:**_

_**I'm so glad everyone loves this couple. They're so unlikely, but just so perfect. It's amazing.**_

_**LittleDarling13:**_

_**Yeah, boyfriend/girlfriend doesn't really work for the rogues and their significant others. It just...no, doesn't work. And its not very classy. The Penguin is a man of class, and it just...isn't classy. He's denying that he liiiikes her, lol. Thank you for liking the story and here's the update!**_

_**Just a sidenote: I am so happy about the response that this, Liberate, Restraints, and Infestation have had. It's incredible that I've been able to change peoples' hatred of Zsasz into absolute fangirlishness about him, and that people who have hated the Penguin have been onboard with the whole DormouseXPenguin thing. It makes me really happy, like you have no idea how happy. So just...Thank You. Thank You times a million, times a billion, times a google plex. Just...Thanks. So much. It's great knowing people enjoy what I write and knowing that mere words can change peoples' opinions about characters that they might not like or appreciate otherwise. I just wanted to thank everybody for just...being awesome and being, well, you. So...**_

_**Thank You.**_

_**That is all, Goodbye.**_

_**I'll be typing to you soon.**_


	4. Chapter 4

Ron fidgeted in his guard's uniform before checking the map on the wall. Alright, he just needed to take a left down this hallway, take a right when he came to the intersection, and he'd be at Dormouse's cell block. Fuck. Why'd he have to do this alone? Couldn't Cobblepot spare some of his men to bust his own woman out of the nuthouse?

Of course, the Boss had said something about needing them to guard the Mad Hatter while he spoke with someone about something or other. Honestly, Ron couldn't remember. He just knew he had to get the fucking loony woman out of the madhouse in one piece or Cobblepot would have his kneecaps up on a shiny plaque above his desk.

* * *

><p>Molly stared at her walls and counted, yet again, how many bricks were on the wall opposite her bed. She lost count every fifty or so bricks and had to restart again and again, but honestly there was no other way to lull yourself to sleep in a place like Arkham. Eventually she gave up on the bricks and rolled over. She missed being free of this place. She missed her Emperor Penguin and his peasants and guards, and his cold little Iceberg, and how he was nice to her.<p>

Unlike _him._ Hatter.

She was cross with him, you know. Mad. Madder than she can ever remember being with him. Ever since before, when she didn't know he was her friend. Before she knew she truly was in Wonderland.

* * *

><p>"This is quite unusual, Dr. Elliot," Fox said, looking over the X-Rays. "It looks like it could be some sort of electronic chip."<p>

Thomas Elliot closed his eyes for a few seconds before looking back at the man. "Could it be...some sort of behavioral control chip?" He asked.

Lucius shrugged. "Well, it's certainly possible, though depending on the situation, highly improbable. Who did you say you found this in?"

"A patient. Molly McKean. Goes by the name of Dormouse," he said. "I don't understand how it wasn't found until now."

"Well, seeing as her associate, Mr. Tetch has chips like these implanted on every mask his gang uses or in every gang member, I'd say it's more than possible that it's a behavioral control chip," Fox said. Thomas Elliot nodded before smiling at the man.

"Perhaps removal of the chip could constitute 'curing' Ms. McKean from her delusions," he proposed. Fox shrugged.

"Perhaps."

* * *

><p>Cobblepot looked down at the tiny box and felt a twinge in his gut. He couldn't identify the feeling. Was it guilt, that he wasn't able to protect her? Was it anxiety over the bold move he was about to make? Was it his still-present anger aimed at the Mad Hatter for hurting his Molly?<p>

He pushed the box away and glared at the door to his office.

He couldn't wait until his woman was safe and sound in front of him, out of that damned asylum and in his arms.

Most importantly, he couldn't wait to exact his revenge on the Hatter.

No, the beating had just been a warm up.

Revenge was best served cold, as the saying went, and it was going to be served with a sadistic amount of pleasure.

* * *

><p>The public had eaten it right out of the palm of his hand. Flash a few smiles, the potential for the cure of a patient, and hell, Gothamites would give you anything. To him, it didn't matter if it wouldn't actually cure the girl. If she wasn't cured, he could always fix this chip and reprogram it to make her act like she had before the surgery.<p>

No, Thomas Elliot didn't truly care for the well-being of his patients.

He just wanted the notoriety of being the person to conduct the surgeries. After all, how could people confuse Bruce Wayne with Thomas Elliot, when Tommy was the one saving lives?

* * *

><p>"Sir, do you think Tommy will be able to cure Ms. McKean of her condition?" Alfred asked.<p>

"No. That chip hasn't fully worked since the first night I fought with her. It was damaged. Tetch wasn't transmitting any orders to the trip," Bruce said.

"But, sir, if the chip was merely to modify her behavior to mirror that of the Dormouse in the books-"

"You think the damage to the chip could've stopped Tetch from being able to transmit orders, giving her free will as the Dormouse. It could still be controlling her personality and her memories."

"It sounds possible, Master Wayne."

"If it is, she'll be cured soon enough."

"And if not?"

* * *

><p>Rob stared into an empty cell and groaned. Where the fuck could they have taken the crazy woman? He grabbed his cell phone and typed in the all-too-familiar numbers.<p>

"Iceberg Lounge, this is Maggie, would you like to make a reservation?"

"Nah, Mag. It's Rob. The boss there?"

"Yes. Do you want me to transfer you over to him?" Maggie asked.

"Yeah. Please," He tacked on, hoping his manners might give him any sort of luck when it came to telling the boss.

"What do you want, boy?" Cobblepot snarled into the phone.

"Boss, you're not going to believe this," Rob said.

"Spit it out."

"Dormouse ain't here, boss."

"What do you mean, she isn't there?" The boss demanded.

"Her cell is empty, boss."

"You better bloody well find her, then, boy! Or it'll be your head, you bloody-" The boss hung up on him. Rob sighed and pocketed the phone. Hell, he might as well continue his rounds as a fake guard as long as he was there. Maybe he'd find Dormouse.

* * *

><p>"Hard to think this tiny thing could control every aspect of someone's life, huh?" Tommy said, looking at the tiny metal chip. The nurse nodded.<p>

"Do you think she'll be cured?" He asked.

"Well, I don't know. Hopefully. We won't know until she wakes up."

"It'll be an incredible breakthrough in her case. Her psychologist is going to hate you."

"Now, we can't have that, can we?" Tommy said, smiling charmingly at the nurse. He set the chip down on his desk. "What do you say to dinner tonight, David?"

"Dinner? What, like-"

"It'll be a date," Tommy said to the other man. David smiled and nodded.

"Sure."

"Alright, meet me back here at Ten. It'll be my treat. How does Italian sound?"

"Sounds great, Doc."

"Ah-ah. We're going on a date. Call me...Tommy."

"Alright, Tommy."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Tommy is purposefully an ass :) And yes, yes he's gay. So what?  
><strong>_

_**Replies!**_

_**SwordStitcher: Yes, yes it's not her personality. Ish. Sorta. Maybe. Not really. Kinda. Is it more devious leaving it like this? Or less devious?**_

_**Erik-is-my-angel1234:**_

_**Well, here you go, dahling! Hope you enjoy it!**_


End file.
